Coach body of automobiles



July 5 1927' R. A. FAToux COACH BODY OF AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 1, 1925@nani MLA?,

Patented July 5, 1927.

Unirse e.Si"1".teT.ES,`

RAYMoNDALBnRT nAToUX; or nEUiLLY-s-Uasnrnn; FRANCE.

Application led I|Jecemberv1,e19253v SraLNo. 72,556, andjmFranceDecember 23, 1924.

Tgliis. inventionv relates-to a-,new constriu.-v

tion c-rarrangement by means of which4 an automobile coach bodyl can beproduced whichis lighter, more flexible, more durable andless costlythan coach bodies oyfjthe usual constract-ion,` the rigid shell usuallymade ina single. piece being replacedy by multiple and independentyshell elements. which are connectedby resiliently yarrangedy doors, 4 insuch, a way that Vany variation.4 in

alignment` between the various elements isA compensated The constructionor.arrangement;,comT

. prises afrlontV rigidshell and a.. rear rigid shell enclosingthe rearseats. and independ ent: of the first mentioned shelhtheS twoA shellsbeingconnected by'one or two pairs of doors (with theinter-position inthe latter. case ofa; pair of fixed columns), compensation being madefor any variations in alignment which may occur between the variouselement-s by resilient members, against which the'l'ower horizontalandthe free Vertical surfaces offthe, doors are adapted to rest. Or thesaidv doors may even be simply of special constructionrenderingfthemflexible.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example-oneinethod ofcarrying out the invention.V i

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a portion of the chassis andcoach body of an automobile constructed according to the in vention. n

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective Viewofthe frame of the rear element'or shell of the coach body. Fig. 4 is anenlarged detail hereinafter referred to.

Referring first to the front portion of the vehicle, A is the chassis ofthe automobile (see Figs. l and 2). B is the bonnet, torpedo front orthe like arranged in the usual manner. It is constructed in thecustomary fashion but preferably mounted` by means of three ball jointsR'. The lower side members of this shell are connected to the chas-V sisof the automobile by meansjof a collapsible strip, of imitation leatherfor instance L, which covers the opening without interfering with anyslight displacements of the shell. The front shell portion B thusconstitutes a separate and distinct element from the rest of the coachbody, the ordinary side struts being suppressed. This shell B isprovided with vertical hinge pins C upon which are pivotally mounted theforward doors D; The frontvseats are located. atl E, directly upon thechassis of the automobile, as. isv theusual practice in the case, ofchassis which alle being tested. andwith certain racing'cars.

Referring nowy to the pillar elements, theseI pillarsg Fj are. locatedatf'each side of; the chassis`v and ,extend tothe height lof.' thebacks,

of, the frontv seats. Each g pillar F, as in dicated at Figs. l and 2,carries a resilient, member, such ,for vinstance as' a, vertical pad:Gr.- of elongated shape, the details ofv which padral. beeasily seenyfronLFig, 4,. H. is. another resilient. member,L similar tov that 1 justdescribed, and attached' to the` longitudinally extending, framev memberof., the

chassis. The door D, when.itisclosed,comesy with its .horizontal lowerVlsurface against. the

horizontal pad andI with its Vertical rear surface against. theVerticalpad..

The door may. be kept'in.v position whenr closed by a bolt device orsome kindofcatch l mounted' 'in the neighbourhood of the pivotal axisIkof, 'the saidl door and not Vat the` oppositefside thereofas isgenerally the case. ThisI arrangement forholdingthe door in, the closedposition, may. evenv be con-n sttuted'by. an extension member G1 withwhich' the door interlo'cls inthe closed position. This device holds thedoor fiXed on its axle in the closed position as if the axle weregripped, the door being forced with resilient pressure against the padswhich are slightly compressed. v Y

A certain amount of play is provided between the vertical rear edge ofthe door and the chassis.- It is obvious that any slight variations inlevel which may occur when the yvehicle is in motion between the for#ward shell B` on which the door is mounted,

and the piliar F against which it rests will be automatically allowedfor and that without noise by a slight frictional movement of the doorover the padded surface T of the pad. The door is not jammed against thepads, because it only rests against them.

lReferring now to the third element of the shell this comprises almember such as vJ mounted at the rear of the chassis, see Figs. l and3,l the mounting being effected preferably by means of three ball jointsS. This shell, being rigid, may, as is also the case with the doors onthe front element, be covered with thin plates or with wood. The spacebetween the lower longerons or side members K and the chassis is coveredby fit! means of a collapsible strip L1 of leather or imitation leather,which renders the coach body rain or dust proof Without interfering withthe slight displacements of the shell.

rhis last mentioned shell carries the rear doors N upon hinges M whichdoors extend between the shell and the pillars F. These pillars areprovided on their rear surface with vertical pads O, and the chassis isprovided with horizontal pads P. The doors N are provided with lockingmeans Q, in the neighbourhood ot' their pivotal axes, and the shell J isthus connected to the pillars F in the saine manner as the front shell Bis connected to the said pillars l?.

It is evident that where it is desired that the doors should open in theopposite direction to the one indicated, the hinges might be mountedupon the pillars F. The vertical members of the rear shell and ot' thefront shell would then carry the vertical pads. In some cases one ot thedoors might be hinged to a pillar F, the other being` mounted asindicated at l. Y

The invention is also applicable to coach bodies only provided 'with twodoors, namely coach bodies with two, three or four seats carried uponshort chassis. rllie construction is then that which would be obtainedby pushing the shell J in a forward direction, its front standardstaking the place of the pillars F (which would then not be employed) andcarrying the vertical pads.

The invention is also applicable to all other kinds of coach bodies.

lt is also quite obvious that the pads provided With springs as shownmight be replaced by pneumatic or other cushions, or that they mighteven be suppressed altogether, the doors in that case being .con-

structed so that they Would be resilient.

ters Patent ot' the United States of Americaiszy l. ln an automobile, acoach body consist nig of a i'orward shell element mounted 0n thechassis by n'ieans of ball joints7 a rear shell element mounted on thesaid chassis also by means of ball joints, doors pivotally mounted onone ot the shell elements and extending toward the other element andresilient means for preventing the doors jamming owing to theindependent movements of the elements, substantially as described.

in an automobile having a coach body7 as claimed in claim l, aconstruction `in which the resilient means tor preventing the jannningot the doors consists of resilient cushions attached to a verticalmember and a horizontal member against which the inner surface oi"l thedoor in the neighbourhood respectively of the iree vertical edge remote'from the hinge and the lower edge is adapted to rest with slightirictional pressure, substantially7 as and tor the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I aliix my signature.

RAYMOND ALBERT FAroUX.

